Hotelier and master distiller partner to create Whiskey Hotel

Hotelier, Adrian McLaughlin and whiskey master distiller, Darryl McNally have partnered with businessman Carl Harrison to create Ireland’s first whiskey hotel.

The consortium recently purchased the historic Londonderry Arms in Carnlough, once owned by Winston Churchill, and is investing £1.75m in the development of the hotel, which, with its whiskey theme, will be the first of its kind in Ireland.

The Londonderry Arms was purchased from the O’Neill family by the trio who are the first new owners in 75 years. Situated in the Glens of Antrim, on the world-renowned Causeway Coastal route between Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway, the hotel is a popular stopping-off point for visitors and tourists with almost 30% of the visitors to the region coming from the US and Canada.

The refurbishment will be completed by Easter 2025.

McNally said: “We are delighted to be launching Ireland’s first ever whiskey hotel. We will be creating a retail Whiskey Chamber from which we will offer up to 400 bottles of whiskey and other items such as whiskey and hotel branded merchandise. The hotel pub will offer a selection of whiskey cocktails and whiskey tasting flights and we are putting together an events plan where we will offer exceptional whiskey experiences including our own Carnlough Whiskey Festival, Whiskey and Food pairing evenings, Master Distiller Dinners and talks, as well as bar takeovers from some of the World’s Best Bars.

“Whiskey will be an integral part of the hotel, even down to offering the residents’ nightcaps from a tapped unfiltered cask strength Limavady Whiskey cask and we will also be offering a turndown gift of whiskey-infused chocolates. We’re excited to be bringing the Irish Whiskey community together with Ireland’s first Whiskey Hotel.”

McLaughlin added: “We are pleased to be recruiting staff and adding to the current management team of the Londonderry Arms with a general manager, trainee manager and marketing manager. Our kitchen will see three new full-time roles and we anticipate up to 10 other new roles, in line with our anticipated increase in demand across the Food & Beverage, rooms and Events departments.

“Like all good Irish pubs, we will offer traditional Irish music at weekends and classic Irish pub favourites such as Irish Stew, Chowder, locally-sourced salmon and amazing aged steaks. This is a good news story for the region and we are confident that we will be making a tangible difference to the village of Carnlough.”